Brands are a Form of Self-Expression

September 16, 2013

When I say brands are about feelings, not facts, I’m proposing once again that people make buying decisions based on how what they are buying makes them feel. Does it make them feel more confident, secure, cool, pretty, smart, savvy, or happy? Does it represent their values? Would their friends approve? What do their choices say about them as people?

Without these questions there would be no need for more than one of anything. There are people who think human consumption has gone too far, that the proliferation of stuff has plainly gone mad. But to think this way denies a little of what makes us as a species put a very high price on identity. The Social Contract, by Robert Ardrey, said man’s three basic motivations are to seek stimulation, security, and identity. I do not know about the first two, but I would certainly ascribe our quest for identity as pretty high on the list of what makes us tick. Brands are a form of self-expression. They are one of the major ways we keep score.

Do you know what your brand identity is? Please share here or on Twitter and tag your tweet with #HowDoesItMakeYouFeel or simply, #HDIMYF.

Daryl’s new book, How Does It Make You Feel? Why Emotion Wins The Battle of Brands, will be available for purchase digitally this month on Amazon. Follow HDIMYF updates on Twitter @BTCEO and @Brandtrust®!